Iran intelligence minister resigns: report

"President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accepted Heydar Moslehi's resignation and appointed him as his adviser in charge of security matters," IRNA reported.

The semi-official Fars news agency quoted an unnamed source as saying the minister had been sacked.

Moslehi, a mid-ranking cleric, was criticized by parliamentarians in 2009 for lacking the necessary experience when proposed by Ahmadinejad for the position.

Earlier this month, Ahmadinejad demoted a controversial aide Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, whose unorthodox views about the role of powerful clergy and the importance of Iranian cultural values over Islam outraged hardliners in the establishment.